Ladakh

Ladakh is bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalayas and the Karakoram.

Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south -east plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul - in drainage basins with evocative names like Tso-moriri, Tsokar, and Pangong-tso.

Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet to 25,170 feet. Its summer temperatures rarely exceed about 270 C in the shade, while in winter they may plummet to -200 C.

It is the only place where a man sitting under the sun with his feet in the shade suffers from sunstroke and frostbite at the same time!

To Reach

By Air: Airline service operates regular scheduled flights to Leh from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar.

By Road: The main overland approach to Ladakh is from the Kashmir Valley via the 434-km Srinagar-Leh road, which remains open for traffic from early June to November. The J&K State Road Transport Corporation (J&KSRTC) operates regular Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Srinagar and Leh on this route with an overnight halt at Kargil.